DOES Publishes Employment Guidebook on Careers in Healthcare - Releases

(Washington, DC) The Department of Employment Services (DOES) has released a new report on jobs in the healthcare industry. The Employment Guidebook: Careers in Healthcare offers job seekers information on various career options and working conditions, as well as occupational projections and forecasts for the healthcare industry. It is the first of four employment guidebooks to explore various high-demand career options for District residents.

The nine-page resource guide offers essential information on the healthcare industry, touting it as one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation with more job openings in this region than qualified workers to fill them. According to labor market projections, there will be a 25 percent increase in the number of healthcare jobs by the year 2010.

On the local level, the report listed the 10 fastest-growing healthcare-related occupations, with Registered Nurses leading by a projected employment growth of 43,859 by the year 2010. Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants followed with a 21,856 projected employment growth. Other occupations included Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (12,302 projected), Medical Assistants (7,474 projected), Dental Assistants (6,075 projected), Home Health Aides (5,708 projected), Pharmacy Technicians (4,528 projected), Dental Hygienists (3,784 projected), Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (2,878 projected), and Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists (3,714 projected).

“The Employment Guidebook serves as a roadmap for District residents interested in a career in healthcare,” says Gregg Irish, Director of the Department of Employment Services. “Statistical data exposes the need for quality workers in this industry as well as the job growth potential. The goal in developing this guidebook is to empower people looking at various professions to make smart and informed career choices.”

The Employment Guidebook: Careers in Healthcare is a product of DOES’s Workforce Development Bureau. The guidebook is available free of charge at any of DC's One-Stop Career Centers, which are strategically located throughout the District. For more information, visit www.dcnetworks.org/ or call (202) 724-7000.